HÀ NỘI — Renowned Chef Ruthie Rousso, known as Ambassador of Israeli gastronomy, showcased a variety of Israeli food, ingredients and cooking techniques to the public of Hà Nội yesterday.

Over the course of two hours, she taught the public how to make pita bread and tahini sauce (a sesame seed paste). Pita bread is one of the most popular dishes in Israel, while tahini is the most commonly used condiment, which you can find served with almost everything.

The event, named Flavour of Israel, aims to introduce special delicacies of Israel to Vietnamese customers to celebrate the 68th anniversary of Israeli independence.

Israel has become world renowned as a “startup nation”, yet another emerging field gaining global attention is the unique, high-quality and safe food products from the country.

“Israel is a nation of immigrants, a cultural melting pot that is reflected in its cuisine, which consists of influences from the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Arabia and North African,” said Chef Ruthie.

“Its immigrant influences make Israeli food very dynamic,” she adds.

The lack of a uniform culinary tradition makes it a very easy cuisine to play around with and adapt to different dishes.

At the event, an exhibition of Israeli cuisine products was also on show. The participants were introduced to many interesting factors that make Israel a “food nation”.

Some of the country’s specialities include olive oil and dates.

The event was organised by the Economic and Trade Mission under the Embassy of Israel in Việt Nam, who extended the invitation to Chef Ruthie Rousso.

Einat Halevy Levin, senior business development director at the Israel Economic and Trade Mission said that Israel wanted to present to Việt Nam its unique and innovative food products.

“Their high quality is a result of extensive experience, R&D and investment by Israeli firms,” she said.

The event was also held in HCM City on Monday.

Chef Rousso is an international chef, food writer and TV personality who has been touring the world and participating in international TV shows, including Israel’s Iron Chef.

In 2013, she and another Israeli Chef Michal Ansky visited Việt Nam to share Israeli cooking techniques and explore its own rich gastronomical heritage. —VNS